Twelve Months Later, Ethan Came Back With a Sleeping Newborn and a Broken Suitcase

The house was pale yellow with black shutters and a deep front porch.

A wooden swing set stood in the side yard, two seats and a slide.

The grass was cut.

The hedges were trimmed.

I checked the sticky note against the mailbox twice.

The mailbox had a daisy stenciled on the side.

I sat with the engine off and watched the curtains move in an upstairs window.

After a minute a young woman came out the front door with a watering can.